Canosa di Puglia

Canosa di Puglia (in Apulian dialect Canaus; in Latin Canusium; in Greek Canusion) is a town and comune in Apulia in southern Italy, between Bari and Foggia, located in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, not far from the position on the Ofanto River where the Romans found refuge after the defeat of the Battle of Cannae. It is the burial place of Bohemund I of Antioch.

It is located on the northwestern edge of the plateau of the Murgia which dominates the Ofanto valley and the extensive plains of Tavoliere delle Puglie, ranging from Mount Vulture at the Gargano, to the Adriatic coast.

Canosa is considered the principal archaeological center of Apulia, and is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in Italy. A number of important vases and other archaeological finds are located in local museums and private collections.

Physical geography

Territory

Canosa sits on the right bank of the Ofanto river and is nearly 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Adriatic Sea. The town sits upon the Murgia plateau, between 105 and 140 metres (344 and 459 ft) above sea level. The city is built on a mostly sandy or clay surface that covers a limestone layer ("calcareniti of Gravina") which in turn constitutes the typical white-yellowish tuff and is easily collapsible. This morphological feature allowed the underground construction of artificial grottoes (used in the 19th century as cellars), and the creation of a Hypogean. The tuff derived from the excavations has gone towards the construction of buildings on the surface. There are risks of subsidence due to the presence of caves and underground channels typical of karst environments. The buildings of the town of Canosa are considered high risk for collapse. In recent years there have been many building failures and disruptions of roads. The area extends south to the slopes of the Murgia, and is mostly flat. The basins of Rendina and Locone contribute to the large area 150 square kilometres (58 sq mi).